Improvement in single-rail - railway cars



2Sheets--Sheet1 G. McWAYNE. Single-Rail Railway-Bar. N0.163,227,-PatenLedMay1Ll875f mum.

wnuessss:

V f monuns.

THE GRAPHIC COPHOTO -LITH.39&.41 PARK PLACLIL! OHANDLER MGWAYNE, OFGOLFAX, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT lhl SlNGLE-RAlL-RAILWAV CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,227, dated May 11,1875; application filed December 5, 1874.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHANDLER MOWAYNE, of Colfax, in the county of Placerand State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSingle Rail Railways, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical longitudinal section of my improvedcar, and showing the track in side view. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a verticalcross-section of the same, taken through the line m at, Fig. 3. Fig. 3,Sheet 2, is a horizontal section of the same, taken through the line y 3Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

My invention has for its object to improve the construction ofsingle-rail railways, so as to enable the car to be readily balancedupon the rail when in motion, to hold it steady when being loaded andunloaded, and to make the track more secure.

The invention will first be fully described, and then pointed out in theclaims.

A are the posts of the track, which are made wide longitudinally withthe track, and narrow transversely with the track. Upon the upper endsof the posts A are cross-heads B, running longitudinally with the track,and having deep longitudinal grooves in their upper sides to receive thebase of the rails O, which are secured in place in said heads B bybolts, the bolt-holes in the rails being slightly elongated to allow therails to expand and contract. When the posts A are iron the heads B maybe cast upon their upper ends; but when the posts A are wood the heads Bare cast with a socket to receive the upper ends of the said posts, towhich they are secured by bolts or other convenient means. The rails (Jare supported midway between the posts A by arched braces E, the upperparts of which are grooved to receive the base of the rails C, and thelower ends of which rest upon shoulders or other supports formed upon orattached to the posts A. To the sides of the posts A are. attached flatbars, plates, or rails F, for the horizontal wheels of the cars to bearagainst, as hereinafter described. G is the car-body, which is made witha deep longitudinal recess extending up from the middle part of thebottom of the car, so that the main weight of the car and load may bebelow the rail 0. H are the trucks, to which the wheels I are pivoted,which are pivoted in the upper partof the recess in the carbody G, andwhich are made enough narrower than said recess to give them thenecessary play for passing around curves, &c.

The main body of the passengers and loading of the car occupy thecompartments in the sides of the car below the level of the rails O. Inthe upper part of the car-body Gr, directly above the rail, is formedanother compartment, the floor J of which slides transversely in ways inthe frame-work of the car, so that by moving the said floor toward oneside or the other the weight of the pas sengers or load in saidcompartment may serve as a counterpoise for balancing the car. To themiddle part of the side edges of the floor J are attached ropes orchains K, the other ends of which are attached to the middle parts ofthe rods or shafts L, which pass longitudinally through the upper sideparts of the car-body G, and revolve in bearings attached to theframe-work of said body. To the end parts of the shafts L are attachedropes or chains M, which are also attached to vertical shafts N, placedat the ends of the car-body, and operated by a hand-wheel, in the mannerof a brake-shaft. The ropes or chains M are so arranged that when theshaft N is turned they will be wound upon one of the shafts L, andunwound from the other, thus moving the floor J in one or the otherdirection. The ropes or chains K M may be replaced by equivalent racksand gear-wheels, if desired. a O are sliding bars or frames placed inways in the bottom of the car-body 'G, and to the inner ends of whichare pivoted horizontal wheels P, which rest against the flat rails F.The slides O are held inward, holding the wheels 1? against the rails orplates F by springs Q, attached to the sides of the bottom of thecar-body G, and which press against the outer ends. of the said slidesO. The springs Q, upon the opposite sides of the car, should be of thesame strength, so as to hold the car squarely in position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A car-body having longitudinal bottom cavity,provided with aligned vertical truckwheels, having room for side play inthe up per part thereof, and horizontal sprin g-pressed Wheels P P,arranged as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

2. The laterally-sliding floor J in the carbody G, above the recess thatreceives the trucks and rails, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the shafts L, ropes

